The word ‘strategic’ has been in the news lately.
For example: ‘Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized two strategic islands in the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait.’
The Oxford defines ‘strategic’ as meaning, ‘useful or important in relation to military strategy.’
Which (for me at least) raises the often tricky question of: what is the difference between ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics?
Is that a question you have occasionally thought about?
I suspect the answer is not immediately obvious.
Basically ‘strategy’ seems to mean ‘a plan’—or, at least, that seems to be the core notion.
The Oxford talks about strategy involving ‘planning or directing the larger movements or long-term objectives of a battle, military campaign.’
In other words, strategy is the big, overall, plan.
The Collins talks about ‘a general plan, or set of plans.’
The Cambridge calls it a ‘detailed plan.’
But when we turn to ‘tactics’ the focus seems to be not on the plan so much as how to accomplish it.
Draw up a plan (that’s the strategy) then work out how to do it (that’s the tactics).
The Merriam-Webster dictionary says ‘tactics’ means ‘disposing and manoeuvring troops, ships, or aircraft’—in other words, the ‘how’ of putting the plan into action. The Cambridge says tactics means the organisation and use of troops etc.; the Collins talks about ‘direction and control’; while the Oxford uses the word ‘deploying.’ And I think that nails the difference between ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics—between the ‘plan’ and the ‘how.’
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BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
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